Cobb Schools Get Transparency Props

From a press release:

The Cobb County School District has earned an A+ rating for public transparency from Sunshine Review, a citizen-run, national nonprofit organization focused on government oversight.

Since 2008, the organization has analyzed more than 6,000 state and local government websites for ease of access to public information, grading each on a 10-point transparency checklist. The Cobb County School District website met all 10 of the organization’s standards for accountability, including access to information regarding taxes, budgeting, meeting records and minutes, elected officials, contacts for administrators, contracts, audits, academic information, background checks and procedures for records requests. The transparency review for CCSD is available at http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Cobb_County_Public_Schools,_Georgia.

Sunshine Review also provides a chart comparing the openness of major Georgia public school systems. Cobb is one of only two systems in the state to receive an A+ rating as of January 2013. The comparative chart is available at http://sunshinereview.org/index.php/Evaluation_of_Georgia_school_district_websites.

"The strong support for public education in Cobb County is a reflection of our commitment to accountability and open governance,” said Board of Education Chairman Scott Sweeney. “Our public schools belong to the community, and we are thrilled to receive a high rating for our efforts to make access to public information as simple and straightforward as possible."

The Cobb County School District website at www.cobbk12.org includes all of the information graded by Sunshine Review and much more, including procedures for citizens to request open records from the District.